THIEVES set fire to a telegraph pole in a bid to steal copper cable, causing homes and businesses to lose power.

The fire was started in the early hours of Thursday, November 29 on a pole in fields adjacent to the Cybi Retail Park, Kingsland Road, Holyhead.

Police said the copper cable was still in place.

Investigating officer PC Joe Hawken at Holyhead Police Station said: “This was a totally mindless and dangerous act as thousands of volts of electricity run through these cables and the consequences of this criminality could have been fatal.

“Not only have these mindless idiots narrowly escaped death but they also caused a power loss to several households and two local supermarkets causing inconvenience and hardship to hundreds.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact North Wales Police on 101 or alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 and quote RC12197057.